Lake Howell WR Mitchell Dawkins will take his talents to Eastern Michigan

Mitch Dawkins, photo

CHRIS HAYS/ORLANDO SENTINEL

Mitch Dawkins, a top-notch receiver for Winter Park Lake Howell, has committed to play at Eastern Michigan. Dawkins is shown in the photo above competing at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl National Combine in January, 2011.

Mitch Dawkins, a top-notch receiver for Winter Park Lake Howell, has committed to play at Eastern Michigan. Dawkins is shown in the photo above competing at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl National Combine in January, 2011. (CHRIS HAYS/ORLANDO SENTINEL)

Dawkins, one of the top wide receivers in Central Florida coming into the 2011 season, was hampered by an ankle injury over the summer and then, according to Lake Howell coach Tom Oliver, faced numerous double-coverage packages during the season that kept his numbers from being what was expected.

Mitchell, a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder, picked Eastern over offers from Navy and FAMU. With teams focusing on him defensively, he still managed to catch 35 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns.

"In terms of my recruitment this year, I think I was a little bit under the radar," Dawkins said. "But I was still given the opportunity and that’s all I really needed."

Given that attention on the other side of the field with Dawkins drawing attention, teammate Kelvy Coney had a breakout year with 46 receptions, 739 yards and six touchdowns.

“[Dawkins] got a lot of looks from some other schools, but Eastern came out on top and he’s happy,” Oliver said. “He’s a heckuva kid and quality athlete, and when you are that good you draw a lot of attention from defenses and that certainly was the case for him.”

Dawkins plans to arrive at the Ypsilanti (Mich.) campus in late June. He also said the cold winter weather should not be a factor.

"It was like 12 degrees up there when I went on my visit," Dawkins said. "It will kind of take some getting used to but I don’t think it will be a problem."